Update Update

[bort]

Thanks Mark, I was just reading about those! That seals the deal, I don't want or need to spend more time on this than I have to.

Now... what on earth do I do with the 4 tires already on the car? I don't have a garage...

[bisontuba]

Thanks Mark, I was just reading about those! That seals the deal, I don't want or need to spend more time on this than I have to.

Now... what on earth do I do with the 4 tires already on the car? I don't have a garage...

Basement?

[bort]

I live in a condo, so unfortunately there's no room to store tires, wheels, etc. It's possible that my tires need replacing anyway, but that would only delay the problem for a few months until the winter when the snow tires come off.

I guess I could get a storage unit somewhere if the $ makes sense. Or just not drive in the snow.

Thanks for the help guys!

[Thomas Maurice Booth]

Depending on the store where you buy your tires, some places have an option for off-season tire storage.

For those of you who have the option of a garage or shed, I just put one of these racks up in the garage a couple of weeks ago for my wife's off-season tires. Super easy to install and has a large storage capacity.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058B ... 1_2&sr=8-2" target="_blank" target="_blank

TMB

[Donn]

People who really need snow traction might not think as much of SUV 4x4s. But I don't know anything about it from experience either. I have some mounted snow tires in the basement, that came with the car when I bought it many years ago. Actually I think they're studded. Whatever, by now I think they're too old to really contribute to driving safety, so even in the unlikely event that it snows, I'm not going to start putting on snow tires now. I've never worn a tire down, they all die of old age.

[bort]

Just found out that one of my favorite authors died earlier this year. That blows.

[scottw]

Just found out that one of my favorite authors died earlier this year. That blows.

who was this?

[bort]

Just found out that one of my favorite authors died earlier this year. That blows.

who was this?

A Swedish author named Henning Mankell, most widely known for the Wallander series of crime novels. Frankly, I don't even think the books are all terrific (some are better than others), but his complex characters and great sense of place were what sets it apart for me. Also, over the years that I read the books, it occasionally got me through a few rough spots in life, and for that, it's all the more vivid. One of the TV series based on the books was fantastic -- I just finished watching it. I knew he had cancer, and hadn't heard any updates in a while, but wasn't prepared to hear that he had died.

I know little about the man personally, but I totally got hooked into the characters and I related to them. Reading Scandinavian crime novels is now my guilty pleasure, and I'm trying to talk my wife into going to Sweden (it's on the list at least). Anyway, it expanded my mind a bit, and I connected to it.

I've said it before and will say it again -- cancer sucks.

[bort]

I did not... Very cool though!

[Donn]

i've had several different kinds of 4X4's. they all do well enough. where i live, in winter, i would be stranded without one.

I hear some owners are disappointed by the stopping ability of 4 wheel drive, that's all.

[hup_d_dup]

I hear some owners are disappointed by the stopping ability of 4 wheel drive, that's all.

Maybe that's because 4X4 vehicles often have high center of mass which makes stopping a little harder to control.

My Ford Explorer doesn't stop as well as my Subaru Legacy, both with 4 wheel drive.

Hup

[Donn]

never heard that one. i'm not sure how stopping a 4X4 would be anymore difficult than a 2X4.

It wouldn't be - nor any easier. The point is that while 4 wheel drive will help get you going, it won't help you stop. Unlike special tires, chains, etc. which help either way. That may seem extremely obvious, but from the frequency with which state police etc. sites feel compelled to offer that advice, I think a number of drivers exist who are capable of missing this obvious fact.

The Physics of 4 Wheel Drive and Snow

[Dan Schultz]

i've had several different kinds of 4X4's. they all do well enough. where i live, in winter, i would be stranded without one.

I hear some owners are disappointed by the stopping ability of 4 wheel drive, that's all.

I had to think a bit about that. I sort of agree with that. I have a '98 Chevy Blazer with 4wd. I does seem to react differently when in 4wd mode. I think it might have something to do with the additional revolving mass of the front drive mechanics.

This vehicle is quite 'pushy' when in 2wd but performs quite well when in 4wd. Of course... my mileage drops about 30% when in 4wd. On wet pavement... it handles LOTS better with all four wheels pulling rather that dragging the front two around.

[Tom]

I've said it before and will say it again -- cancer sucks.

Considering your coincidental terminology, did you know about this...??

http://www.cancerblows.com/

Yep, Joe...I know that you know Ryan Anthony [Dallas Symphony principal trumpet, formerly Canadian Brass] and his family and are familiar with the background on the Cancer Blows project. For those that don't know, Ryan has multiple myeloma, a terminal cancer of the bone marrow. He has undergone extensive treatment but is currently doing well and still playing in Dallas daily. I am fortunate to be able to work with him on a daily basis and was involved in production of the Cancer Blows concert in Dallas and the recording project that went along with it in March of 2015 (in fact, we did the entire project in the middle of a snow storm in Dallas - go figure!).

It was quite a concert: Dallas Symphony + mass trumpet ensemble & trumpet soloists on the first half of the program, UNT 1 o'clock lab band (jazz band for those that don't know) + trumpet soloists on the second half of the program. Additionally, there was an another concert a couple days before that was a "meet the principals" event in which principals from many orchestras combined forces into a trumpet ensemble (plus some solo material) and did a concert that was part recital, part jam session, and part recording session.

Anyone interested in this that wishes to know more or support the cause can visit the website Joe linked above, cancerblows.com. There you can find the story on Ryan and his cancer battle, ways to donate, and stuff to buy if you're so inclined. The CD/DVD set really turned out well, if I do say so myself Ryan's most recent solo album, Bold, Blue, and Bright is also great if you're looking for more of a traditional solo album. Those that know my face (probably only a handful of people on here, actually) will spot me in several photos in the photo gallery, too, along with a whole bunch of other great people that were involved in the project. As I recall a couple of folk on the board here were at the 'big' concert...Mark F. and ???

[bearphonium]

As an almost 10 year cancer survivor, I do believe that cancer does suck. And blow. Very interesting.

As a now retired deputy, I always cautioned people the four wheel drive does not equal four wheel stop. I haven't owned studded tires for many years, finding that the all-season tires do what I need them to do in the Pacific Northwet, where it does, sometimes snow. What I did see a lot of was people not driving very sensibly in adverse weather conditions.

[bearphonium]

As an almost 10 year cancer survivor, I do believe that cancer does suck. And blow. Very interesting.

As a now retired deputy, I always cautioned people the four wheel drive does not equal four wheel stop. I haven't owned studded tires for many years, finding that the all-season tires do what I need them to do in the Pacific Northwet, where it does, sometimes snow. What I did see a lot of was people not driving very sensibly in adverse weather conditions.

Remind me to tell you about the idiot from Mississippi I saw blasting through our residential streets today. In this state, stop signs are not a suggestion.

Schlep, my favorite excuse for blowing a stop' sign: "I'm from out of state". I told him that I had driven in many states, and in all of them, including some foreign countries, that red octagonal sign meant the same thing...

[Donn]

I told him that I had driven in many states, and in all of them, including some foreign countries, that red octagonal sign meant the same thing...

What's weird is when the sign even has "STOP" written on it - in a country where that doesn't mean anything in the native language, which is not English. I think sometimes the unification goes too far.

[MartyNeilan]

Happy 2017 !!!

...I hope...

I thought it was only trumpet players that got ahead.

[scottw]

Happy 2017 !!!

...I hope...

I thought it was only trumpet players that got ahead.

Nah---drummers do it all the time! I often wonder why it is that the players with the worst sense of rhythm are the drummers?

[bort]

Hey Mark... Snow is back, huh?

Warm weather to buried in snow in 1 week...